CHILLICOTHE – A weekend in the life of Micah Reisinger, a junior defensive back for the Huntington Huntsmen, isn’t what you might expect.

Every Saturday morning, Reisinger — no matter how exhausted from a football game the night before — can be counted on to show up for classes at the Southern Ohio School of Ministry, a two-year, unaccredited Bible college based in Chillicothe at Open Door Christian Fellowship.

The program is set up for church members who have the yearning to learn more about the Bible and its contents as well as training those who would like to participate in local ministry opportunities.

Reisinger, in his second year at the school, has proven to be one of its best students and is set to graduate in December.

“It’s pretty cool to see,” said Mark Pfeifer, Reisinger’s pastor at Open Door Fellowship. “He’s attending our school of ministry on Saturday mornings, even during football season. He’s been late a couple of times due to practice or other football activities, but he always manages to come. He’s a heck of a student. We require that they do homework, read portions of the Bible and a lot of other things. He’s always doing his work and doing what we require him to do.”

On Sunday mornings, Reisinger is an active member in the church where he serves as a cameraman helping to record services that will air each week on the Internet in fulfilling a leadership role in his youth group.

“Religion plays a huge role in my life,” Reisinger said. “My parents have told me that church comes first no matter what, and I agree with them. For instance, throughout the summer, we have weightlifting practice on Wednesday nights and my church has Wednesday night service. So I’m at church instead of football practice. My religion takes priority.”

Reisinger, who currently is second in the Scioto Valley Conference with 29 tackles, said he brings his faith onto the field with him.

“I just know that when I’m out there, it’s not because of me,” Reisinger said. “My family has given me the opportunity to play and I’ve been blessed with the ability.”

That ability to play well is not questioned by his teammates or coaches.

“On the field, you couldn’t ask for a better kid,” Huntington coach Alan Preston said. “He’s pound for pound our toughest kid. If I had a team full of Micah Reisingers, nobody would ever be able to stop us. When I look at him, I think of dependability. He does anything we ask of him, and he’s always in the mix. It’s been a joy to watch him grow as a football player and he will continue to be a name around the league that everybody knows.”

But it’s what he does off the field and inside the hallways at his school that gains him respect.

With so many high school students submitting to peer pressures, Reisinger has assembled a formula that not only keeps him out of trouble but also sets a leadership model for his classmates to look up to.

“I’m the same type of kid on and off the field,” Reisinger said. “Some may look at me as a leader, but I’m just doing what I’ve been taught. A lot of my success has come from the company that I keep. I love all of my teammates. They’re all great kids. But on the weekends, I don’t forget about my friends from church and often hang out with them.”

Preston furthered that point.

“He’s a saint in the school. You never hear about him acting up or getting into trouble,” he said. “He’s a special kid, there’s no doubt about it. I’m going to be blessed to have him next year. When you see him in the classroom, he’s studying, he’s always where he’s supposed to be. I’m sure his parents are proud (and) I’m definitely proud to be his coach and know him as a man. He attacks life like he attacks football in the amount of effort he puts into each category.”

That effort, Pfeifer said, is part of the core values taught in the church. Reisinger agrees with the philosophy on giving your all.

“No matter what the scoreboard says, whether you’re winning or you’re losing, you have to give everything you’ve got,” he said. “A lot of that for me is pride. I know that I won’t be able to deal with myself after a game if I know I didn’t give it my all, even if we lose. I’ve got teammates who have my back and if I don’t spend every ounce of energy I have, I’m not returning that favor. That sense of giving it my all translates over to my religion as well. Why do something if you’re not going to try to be the best you can be?”

When asked his favorite scripture, Reisinger replied with Timothy 4:12 which reads: “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”